Baker Mayfield’s Scramble Drill
October 30th, 2026
Making plays with his feet.
Advanced stats show Baker Mayfield makes things happen, including some good things, when a play breaks down and he gets outside the pocket.
In his first game back after dislocating his thumb against the Vikings, Mayfield didn’t have a great day on Sunday. The Bucs didn’t need him, too. The run game had Mayfield’s back and dominated the win over the Stinking Panthers.
But there was one play where the Bucs needed Mayfield to make a play. And boy, did he ever.
It was late in the first half. Second-and-goal from the Carolina-14.
Mayfield was flushed to his right. He retreated and bought time. This allowed Tez Johnson time to break off a route and get major separation and Mayfield lofted the pass to Tez for a touchdown and a commanding 33-6 Bucs lead.
Ballgame.
The play looked like good ol’ backyard football. But Joe knows teams and players put in more work than relying on just dumb luck on a scramble. So Joe asked Mayfield this week how much work he and his receivers put in on scramble drills.
“Here at practice, you try and go through your reads,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, when your coaches are scouting it up, you’re trying to go through, ‘This is what this play is designed for, get it out on time, do that.’
“But if it’s not there, you’re just playing live football. The play is never over when you’re at practice here. Obviously, you’re not getting hit, so [we’re] trying to just teach those guys the rules and play off each other as well.”
Mayfield admitted Tez has a gift for adjusting on the fly and finding green, open grass.
“He definitely has just natural instinct on it,” Mayfield said. “You know, he’s obviously already hauling around the field, going pretty fast, so he’s getting his eyes up.
“A lot of times Tez [Johnson] can just kind of try and find green grass when he’s running his route, so [we] try and keep him honed in a little bit, make sure he’s on his landmarks at the right time.
“But then when it comes to scramble drill, that’s when you want to cut him loose. He has that natural instinct to be able to make plays.”
Joe also spoke with Tez and asked him about the work. He told Joe there isn’t a practice that he and Mayfield don’t work on scramble drills.
“Every day,” Tez said. “Every day at practice. No matter what the situation is, always work on the scramble drill.”
Tez admitted Mayfield’s mobility helps.
“It’s always like a sixth sense,” Tez said about being on the same page as Mayfield during a scramble. “It’s first, you’re trying to find him [as he runs out of the pocket]. Then once you find him, you have to lock in on him.”
And once Tez and Mayfield are locked in?
“It’s pretty much, ‘We’re gonna connect,'” Tez said.
It is really cool that all that work Tez and Mayfield (and others) put in pays off.
And it’s pretty cool that Tez and Mayfield have that unspoken connection to make unscripted plays work.
Baker Mayfield connects with Tez Johnson for a 14 yard TD#WeAreTheKrewe #TBvsCAR pic.twitter.com/NJrVvLsJ0C
— False Finish (@FalseFinishHQ) October 25, 2026
October 30th, 2026 at 7:07 am
How is the thumb? People give Mayfield grief for being short but the Carolina shrimp is 3 inches,shorter and clearly could,not see over the linemen last nite.. Same with 3 inches,shorter Murray in MPLS.
October 30th, 2026 at 7:10 am
Not happy with his default scramble but it’s in his DNA
As I have said if the Bucs are drafting in the top 10 then drafting Bakers replacement should be on the table.
October 30th, 2026 at 7:17 am
Tez was running to Baker’s left, then abruptly went right with Baker, and Tez got 10 yards of separation. Tez has a great ability to change direction quickly. Z-Rob is missing a HUGE opportunity. Stop and go routes, or a slant quickly reversed to an out.
October 30th, 2026 at 7:26 am
The right tackle was collapsed, pushing Baker forward into the retreating interior line. What would you have him DO SB-LV?
October 30th, 2026 at 7:41 am
Nice play by Tez Johnson…
Could he possibly be the best 7th round pick in Buc history?
October 30th, 2026 at 7:45 am
Beeej Says:
October 30th, 2026 at 7:26 am
The right tackle was collapsed, pushing Baker forward into the retreating interior line. What would you have him DO SB-LV?
He is blinded by hate. smh, they are perpetual Back Benchers always shouting, what about… or I would of done….. They just can’t help from doing it.
October 30th, 2026 at 8:22 am
Let’s get this straight. Baker can barely get through his first read before he gets happy feet and ditches the play call to ad lib. That’s what our experts around here say.
Talk about duncecaps! Mayfield reads defenses as well as any QB in this league. So he’s started over 120 games his first 8 years in this league. He’s not dumb- not by a long shot.
Trolls cry out- he’s inconsistent! Right. He doesn’t win every game. Knuckleheads! You wouldn’t know consistency if it was staring you in the face.
It’s a team game, and after weeks 9,10, and 11 last year Baker knew what we didn’t. Our team wasn’t good enough to contend. And Baker is at the point of his career where he has one goal, and that’s the Lombardi. And he is at the point where he has some say on team decisions.
Last year our receivers and lineman were different faces every week. Didn’t matter as bad as our defense and special teams sucked.
Yeah. We have to run the ball till our opponent stops it. And when that happens, we will get to see what kind of passing attack we’re going to have. I already know, and the rest of you yahoos are gonna find out real soon. Like in 48 hours give or take.
October 30th, 2026 at 8:25 am
JimBobBuc Says:
October 30th, 2026 at 7:17 am
Tez was running to Baker’s left, then abruptly went right with Baker, and Tez got 10 yards of separation. Tez has a great ability to change direction quickly. Z-Rob is missing a HUGE opportunity. Stop and go routes, or a slant quickly reversed to an out.
Good point! This is the frustrating part for me…schemeing plays. I mean what do I know about football, but NFL coaches are experts, right? Is ego (do it my way) really thing as oppose to just playing to the player’s strength? Go Bucs. I am looking forward to a win next game!
October 30th, 2026 at 8:32 am
Tez says to Jason Licht, “What took you so long bro?” One of my favorite draft moments ever.
October 30th, 2026 at 8:41 am
@ kenton
“Mayfield reads defenses as well as any QB in this league.”
Where is the proof behind this statement?
What analytics did you use to gather this data?
He consistently has led the NFL in turnovers throughout his career – is this proof that he is a “master” at reading defenses?
Please explain your logic.
October 30th, 2026 at 8:54 am
I’m not sure about that tops the NfL in turnover thing Marine,,, Darnold had the most last year with 20, btw he won the Super Bowl , Baker had 14 and wasn’t in the top 5,,, Also Josh Allen is always up there with turnovers but who wouldn’t take him,,,, T Lawerence had 15 with the great Liam Coen at the helm ,, so perhaps Baker is not as bad as you think on this turnover thing
October 30th, 2026 at 8:54 am
Hes also up there in Td’s.
October 30th, 2026 at 8:59 am
@ lightning/Kenton/Steve
Baker’s best season as a Buc he led the league in turnovers…
“Baker Mayfield ranks 3rd in total turnovers among NFL players over the past five seasons (2021–2026), with 70 total turnovers.”
Ya’ll sure bout dat?
October 30th, 2026 at 9:01 am
LOL!
The “master” of reading defense is a turnover machine…
I’m not sure what brand of hippy leutece you folks are smokin but send some my way PLEASE!
This is going to be a looooooooong season.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:04 am
Marine hes you qb and you love it!
October 30th, 2026 at 9:04 am
Chukwuma was a split second into his pass protection stance when he realized his man was going full speed rush against him. He instantly recognized that and adjusted to simply trying to push his man past the QB. That gave Bake his escape route to the right. Nice on the fly adjustment by the young man but was also just that close to being beaten.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:05 am
@ Steve
LOL!
NOOOOOOOOOO!
You can’t make me love it!!!!!
However – if he can win games I might start to like it.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:14 am
Marine Buc,
Why look strictly at 5 years back? Why not look at turnovers per games played or turnovers per total snaps or turnover percentage or the ratio of positive outcomes vs negative ones per play. It’s because you chose the timeline that best suited your desire to portray Baker in a negative light. That’s pure bias.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:18 am
I agree with the statement as he is one of the best at looking at a defense I don’t think anybody ever said he was the best but he is one of them. And great at making adjustments with a collapsing pocket unfortunately our pockets do collapse a lot if your paying attention.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:29 am
Marine Buc Says:
October 30th, 2026 at 8:59 am
@ lightning/Kenton/Steve
Baker’s best season as a Buc he led the league in turnovers…
“Baker Mayfield ranks 3rd in total turnovers among NFL players over the past five seasons (2021–2026), with 70 total turnovers.”
Ya’ll sure bout dat?
___________________________
you neglected to mention that the other two in the top three are patrick mahomes and josh allen lol. are you saying that they can’t read a defense and are terrible qb??
you also failed to mention that baker is in the top 5 for td passes over the same timeframe.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:31 am
It has been obvious from game number 1. This passing offense and Baker are not the same without Mike Evans. Add in the fact this new “coordinator” (boy he can call them runs though) is clueless on how to use 4 good WRs, other than screens. If the Bucs manage to climb up to first place, they gotta fire that OC and get a guy who knows down the field concepts.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:43 am
The dudes a vet,hes seen it all..Same as yes im going to say it Bowles seen it all
October 30th, 2026 at 9:45 am
@ Oscar
OK.
Let’s go back.
Baker threw 21 interceptions + 6 fmbls in 2019. That’s not good.
He only played 11 games in 2022- 8 INTs + 2 fmbles. Not good.
Baker has thrown 103 INTs since 2018.
Baker has fumbled 71 times with 24 lost.
Folks – you know I have love for you all.
But at some point you have to look in the mirror and ask – am I a deeply closeted individual?
Where are these deep feelings of love coming from?
Stop it!
Baker had 64 yards passing last week.
His best stat – 0 turnovers…
October 30th, 2026 at 9:45 am
Beautiful execution of the scramble drill by Baker and Tez. That play seem to break the Panthers back. You could feel – that was the final straw.
October 30th, 2026 at 9:45 am
Yes…. when Evans played..Only playing what 5 games out of what 30 something..Gimme a break Move the phuck on please..It was time for him to go…
October 30th, 2026 at 9:47 am
@ sunny
One stat you are leaving out.
Those 2 QBs you mentioned are helping their teams win…
Is Baker really helping us win?
Or is he helping us to continue this painful march through the desert of mediocrity?
October 30th, 2026 at 10:05 am
Stats are a funny thing , and QBs throw INTs , sometime a lot of them , Brett Farve had 336 and everyone loves him ,, QBs with over 200 INTs include Dan Marino , Both Mannings , Big Ben,, yes even TB 12 ,, Let this year play out , Bucs finally have a good Defense and Special teams ,, what we did against Carolina’s D running was amazing (GB couldn’t run last night ),, would I take an Elite QB over Baker (Josh, Patrick, Lamar, Joe Cool , Stafford ) , you bet I would , but that’s about it , you could say all the other real good (not elite) QBs are a product of their enviroment , let’s give Baker the same environment and I would bet he can do what we need him to do
October 30th, 2026 at 10:39 am
Mr Mid QB is 1-3 on the season and had a whopping 64 yards vs a putrid Panthers defense on Sunday. He’s just a guy.
His bloated contract is merely a result of incompetence on the part of the GM, and cluelessness from the Glazers.
It’s worse than the Dak Prescott contract. Zero reasoning to overpay for a midget that can’t throw a deep pass.
The next HC needs to demand a trade of Mayfield and bring in a real QB.
October 30th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Here’s my expert analysis backed up with years of data
Baker sucks
October 30th, 2026 at 1:56 pm
@Marine Buc
His play sure helped the Bucs get out to 6-2 last season when his name was in the MVP convo. Multiple game winning drives.
Stiff arming Bosa to pick up a 1st down, beating the eventual SB champs in their house.
Why did he and the Bucs fall off a cliff? Consistency issues from Baker? Probably. Injury issues for Baker? Certainly.
This season he has a dud OC and the OL was getting wrecked (can also point to OC for that a bit) early this season. Even that TD pass, he’s flushed pretty quick there.
We paid him, he’s the QB for a couple years. With the team around him the Bucs can win ball games and should win this division with 10+ wins. Need better coaches.
October 30th, 2026 at 2:12 pm
If Tez comes up with a couple more big plays off of scramble drills the other teams are going to start to have to account for him. Hopefully that will open up some other guys as well.
October 30th, 2026 at 4:45 pm
Professor VonDunceCap,
Baker Mayfield has thrown the longest airborne pass in the history of an NFL game. Pass came when he was still in Cleveland and ball was thrown 75 yards. Nobody on this cite except your girlfriends Munch, OneillBuc and others really likes you.
October 30th, 2026 at 6:12 pm
Scrolling through the play manually, on the left side, the WR and the TE pulled the two defenders up and out creating a huge space for Godwin slanting across from the right side.
That play should have been released on time to Godwin right at the two second mark after the snap, just at the last moment that the RT had his body between Baker and the Edge rusher.
Baker did not have the confidence to pull the trigger and make the throw to Godwin, and he fled the pocket.
Now, perhaps Baker knew that, by design, Tez was going to have a huge break back window. But, that depended upon Baker getting out of the pocket and staying alive.
On an offense that is clicking with the QB confident in himself and his WR, that ball comes out on time to Godwin.
Why isn’t that confidence there with those two players? Maybe Baker’s injury caused him to flinch before gripping and ripping the way he should to get that ball to Godwin?
October 30th, 2026 at 6:44 pm
All I know ,negativity aside,Bucky’s having an all pro season! Great defense ta boot!!
Maybe something special is brewing
Rays surprised the sports world
Any Given Sunday
As mcbay says enjoy the journey !!!
GO BUCS !
October 30th, 2026 at 9:14 pm
Toop, the RT was instantly blown up, I don’t see a path between Baker and an open CG14
October 30th, 2026 at 9:45 pm
Baker’s keeper at the goal line last Sunday was executed to perfection. He looked like Lamar or Josh on that play.
October 30th, 2026 at 11:07 pm
@Beeej Says:
I was wrong, and Beeej is right.
I just looked at it again, and the rusher turned the corner on the RT faster than I thought that he did.
Baker made the most of that play.